It was a time of celebration as well as a time of mourning through the mighty nation of Wakanda. While King T'Challa; the rightful king and the Black Panther, reigned victorious over his hate filled cousin's attempt to rule the country and bring about a third world war to 'cleanse' the world and allow Wakanda to become a single power over the globe, the victory was short lived. Many brave Wakandan warriors had laid down their lives under Erik (N'Jadaka) "Killmonger"'s short rule as the hate-filled king, and with their loss came much grief.

T'Challa had been victorious over Eric in hand to hand combat while his younger sister and Princess of Wakanda, Shuri, fought bravely alongside his beloved Nakia and fiercest warrior Okoye. An ally from the United States, Agent Everett Ross - C.I.A. agent to be precise, had initially been brought to Wakanda to heal from an injury he sustained while protecting Nakia from gunfire, but had proven himself a true friend when he chose to fight alongside T'Challa and prevent vibranium weapons from escaping the country and giving power to those who would use the weapons for harm rather than protection.

All members of the five tribes, including the Jabari, had gathered in the heart of the city to honor those who had fought bravely and paid dearly. A ceremony to honor the fallen was shared amongst the survivors and created a bridge to help mend the damage caused by the strife.

T'Challa and Nakia held hands as they stood proudly as the ceremony honoring their fallen warriors, and friends, paid great tribute to all who had given up their lives. Shuri and the Queen Mother; Ramonda, stayed at their King's side during the event, along with Okoye and her skilled but small army of warriors. Everett had been asked to join them in the ritual ceremony as he too had been a part of the battle. The modest agent was honored and stood quietly along with the great king and his family; resisting the urge to make any noise including a cough as to not unintentionally show any sign of disrespect.

"This day fills my heart with great sorrow and great pride." T'Challa stated to his beloved Nakia. "I wish there had been a better way to stop this unnecessary violence, but I failed to see it."

"Do not worry T'Challa." Nakia comforted her beloved as she tightened her grip around his hand. "You have already proven yourself to be a fine king. You have atoned for your father's previous actions and have prevented war."

"Yes. I know."

"Then why do you worry so?"

"I fear that my decisions, both past and future, may yet cause repercussions that even the wisest of elders could not resolve."

"If the time comes you will know what to do my king." Nakia spoke honestly and sweetly. "I believe in you."

Shuri and Ramonda smiled discreetly as they watched T'Challa and Nakia's romance blossom. Shuri adored his big brother and was very fond of Nakia, while Ramonda was incredibly proud of her noble son and of Nakia's fearless nature. Everett, disciplined and professional, kept his emotions at bay as he paid his respects to the fallen warriors. Still exhausted from being shot in the spine only two days before, his lack of energy only emphasized his expressionless posture as he silently stood at T'Challa's side.

As the sun set and the dead were laid to rest the ceremony was to come to a close and only royalty would be allowed to witness the finality of the ancient ritual, the tribes all dispersed back to their homes having paid their respects. Everett wouldn't be able to leave the area seeing as he was a guest to the country and had no tribe or home to call his own.

"Come with me 'Colonizer'." Shuri teased playfully to Everett as she grabbed onto his hand. "You can rest in a private chamber until morning. We will then take you back to America and you can see your family."

"Thank you Princess." Everett's voice was heavy with his weighing fatigue but his words were sincere. Putting a hand to his mouth he stifled a dry, tickling cough before it had a chance to escape.

"You sound tired. Are you feeling well?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Everett lied as he allowed the Wakandan Princess to guide him to his temporary quarters inside the palace. "It's just been a long couple of days and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around all of this incredible technology and the people who created it all."

"Flattery will get you nowhere Agent Ross." Shuri joked again as she stopped outside of a closed door. Pressing her palm against an electronic panel the door unlocked and slid open granting to duo access to the chamber. "Come inside and rest."

"Thank you Princess. And please, call me Everett."

"Very well." Shuri motioned with her outstretched arm to the bed against the far wall of the chamber. "Then you shall call me Shuri."

"Okay. Shuri. Thank you for everything you've done." Everett sighed wearily as he set foot inside the room and stood in the center. He pressed his hand to his chest as he could feel another cough trying to well up and escape.

"What's the matter? You've never stayed in a palace before?"

"No, but, uh, that's not what I was talking about." Everett cleared his throat as he slowly slipped off his dark blue jacket and draped it over the back of a chair tucked away under a desk at the right wall. "I meant thank you for... saving my life, saving my spine, getting me to safety when, uh, 'you-know-who' took over, trusting me to travel with you and your family into the mountains and trusting that I could help you in stopping the weapons from getting past Wakandan borders. So, just, thanks for treating me like I'm not incompetent and giving me a chance to prove myself."

"You are welcome, Everett." Shuri finally replied, her voice was soft and sweet. "T'Challa will by to see you in a few hours and inform you of tomorrow's plan. Rest well."

"I will. Thank you again."

Shuri hadn't expected such an overwhelming response from someone who seemed so composed and, despite his naivety of culture around him, composed. She had been standing in the opened doorway watching as he took off his jacket and sat on the edge of the large soft bad slowly. His back was tense, surely a lingering symptom of being shot or from the physical exertion from the climb through the mountains and his mad dash to safety in her lab when it was under attack.

She quietly left the room and took her hand from the panel to allow it to lock behind her. It wasn't that they mistrusted Everett by any means but by locking the stranger in his room it would put the mind of the suspicious and skeptical elders at ease.

Gathered in the ceremonial stone chamber of Royal Blood in the depths of the palace T'Challa, Ramonda and Nakia were prepared to perform final rights to ensure the fallen warriors; their brothers and sisters, could rest in peace and cross over to the plane of their ancestors. Once Princess Shuri joined her family the ceremony could come to a close.

"Brother." Shuri greeted T'Challa as she took her place at his side. "I am here. We can finally let the sun set on this tragic day."

"Yes sister. May our fallen find peace in death and escape the tragedy of life."

A warmth encompassed the stone chamber as the royal family proceeded with the ceremony. A sense of overwhelming peace fell over the room and filled the royal hearts with a sense of righteous pride.

Everett was tired beyond words but he couldn't bring himself to sleep, not just yet. He wanted to speak with T'Challa one last time before morning and he wanted to give the king his respects. His back was sore from being shot and his legs were heavy from the unanticipated climb through the snowy mountains. Still curious about the Wakandan healing process he pulled his shirt off over his head and turned his back to the floor length mirror mounted on the wall across from the desk.

"Wow..." Turning his head so he could see the faint scar on his back in the mirror he awkwardly reached one hand back and ran his fingers along the damaged but healed skin tissue. "That's some technology." As he turned back around to face the mirror to slip his shirt back on over his head he caught a glimpse of his paleness that marred his face. "God, I look horrible." He pressed his fingers to his face, feeling the heavy bags under his tired eyes. "It looks like I haven't slept in days."

A horrible cough finally broke loose from his tired body and stole his breath. As he struggled to quiet his cough he ended up wandering back over to his bed and sitting down for a moment. Breathing deeply he leaned forward and pressed the palms of his hands to face and tried to relax. It was then Everett could feel hot his face felt and the layer of sticky sweat that was clinging to his skin.

Laying back on his bed slowly he stretched out his body and tried to relax. Draping one hand over his eyes to block out the light and resting his opposite hand over his stomach the tired C.I.A. agent did his best to try and quiet his overwhelmed mind and get some rest.

Not two minutes passed before there was a gentle knock on the closed door. Everett lifted his arm up from his eyes slightly and turned his gaze toward the door. "Come in." He called out loudly.

The door opened and in stepped T'Challa who walked into the room to greet Everett. "Agent Ross."

"Your Majesty." Everett lowered his arm as he sat up quickly on the bed then swung his legs over the side to stand up. "Thank you for allowing me to be part of a ceremony of incredible respect. I'm truly honored."

"I wish to thank you." T'Challa outstretched his hand for Everett to shake. "You saved Nakia's life and you saved countless others by continuing with your mission to prevent our vibranium weapons from passing through our borders. You have proven that it is possible for Wakanda to have an alliance with outside countries."

"You saved my life," Everett reminded T'Challa while trying to stifle another impending cough. He accepted T'Challa's hand shook firmly. "and you were willing to trust an outsider, an agent for the United States no less, with invaluable information. The least I could do was help you protect innocent lives."

T'Challa could see that Everett looked paler than normal and was beginning to sweat. "Are you alright my friend? You seem unwell."

"I'm okay. Just tired."

Unconvinced by Everett's claim T'Challa pressed the matter further. "I spoke with Shuri before I came here. She also noticed that you seem to be ill."

"Not sick." Everett defended as he choked on another cough. "Just tired."

"No my friend." T'Challa put a hand on Everett's shoulder. "You are ill. I fear your exposure to the vibranium could have an unintended effect on your body."

"No," Everett again dismissed T'Challa's worry, although his sudden wave of lightheadedness made his posture waver under the king's firm grip. "it's not the vibranium. If anything the cold from the mountains got to me." He laughed a little and his face paled. "Not that you weren't exposed to the cold any worse than I was."

T'Challa smiled a little. "Yes. Waking up buried from head to tow in the snow was something that I am not accustomed to."

Before Everett could say anything else he coughed again and ended up losing his breath. T'Challa's already tight grip on his shoulder tightened further as he tried to keep Everett steady. Seeing that the agent was now in distress T'Challa used both hands on Everett's shoulders to gently guide him back and down to his bed.

"Just rest for a moment." T'Challa urged as he turned to the Kimoyo beads on his wrist and opened a line of communication to Shuri. "Sister, please come to Agent Ross's chamber. He is ill."

Everett continued to cough for a seconds more before he was able to catch his breath. Though the fit had passed his breathing hadn't eased as shallow wheezes and rattles sounded off with each feeble breath.

"I knew something was wrong with that white boy!" Shuri responded as her likeness manifested in a sand projection from T'Challa's beads. "I am on my way!"

T'Challa turned his attention back to Everett and watched as his friend struggled to catch his breath. Gently he rested a hand down Everett's chest and spoke calmly to the sick agent. "Breathe. You will be alright my friend."

Unable to speak Everett could only nod a few times to acknowledge T'Challa before another, though smaller, coughing fit racked his body.

T'Challa pressed his hand down harder to try and keep Everett from thrashing about so much as the coughing fit tore through his body. "You are very ill. Is there is a condition that I should know of?"

Again Everett nodded. "As- Asthma." He managed to choke out between coughs. "Th-thought I out-" He coughed harshly and wheezed afterward. "outgrew it as a... child."

"We are familiar with this condition." T'Challa stated gently. "We can aid your breathing. We have wonderful treatments."

"Th-Thank you." Everett all but gasped as the coughing fit finally ended. He fell quiet and very still on the bed which worried T'Challa immensely.

"Agent Ross?" He lightly shook Everett's chest with his hand. "Everett, can you hear me?"

The door to the room opened and Shuri stepped inside hastily. She hadn't had the time to change out of her ceremonial attire into something more casual or comfortable, but in that moment she didn't mind as her attention was solely focused on Everett.

"Brother, what has happened?" Shuri asked about Everett as she leaned over the bed and ran her arm over his body, the Kimoyo beads around her wrist scanning and recording data on his physical vital signs. "I saw him not an hour ago and he was not so ill."

"I do not know. He suddenly became pale and couldn't breathe. He managed to speak of asthma as a child but now he is unconscious."

Shuri finished her scan. "He has developed pneumonia which is why he has such a high fever. No doubt caused from the physical trauma of being shot in his upper body as well as the exposure to the extreme cold from the mountains." She pressed her hand to his forehead and then gently down the side of his face where she kept her palm pressed softly against his cheek. "If he suffered from asthma as a child then his body will be more susceptible to lung infections as well as mild asthma attacks as an adult."

"What can we do to aid him?"

"Another trip to my lab." Shuri stated firmly as she retracted her hand from Everett's cheek and pressed down against his chest. She could feel his struggling breaths trying to force his chest to rise but the strain from the infection was proving too much of a hindrance. "I can clear the infection and deduce the swelling in his lungs before morning."

"Very well." T'Challa put one arm under Everett's shoulder to lift him upward into a sitting position before taking Everett's arm and pulling the downed agent over his strong shoulders. Wrapping his other hand around Everett's leg T'Challa easily hoisted his sick friend into a fireman's carry across his broad shoulders. "We should try to be discreet. We do not want to worry Mother or anyone else."

"Yes." Shuri followed T'Challa as he carried Ross out of the room and quickly walked down the appropriate corridor to access Shuri's lab. "Mother would not appreciate learning of a guest dying in the palace!"

T'Challa and Shuri reached her lab within a few minutes without anyone taking notice. T'Challa had dismissed his private guards for the night which meant the only guards were patrolling the exterior of the palace from any intruders or potential assassins.

"Lay him down." Shuri instructed as she prepared the exam table to run a second scan over Everett's body. "But be gentle. I do not want to repair his spine again."

"I will be careful." T'Challa reassured his sister as he bent down low enough to lay Everett down onto the table without dropping him or moving too abruptly The table light up as the delicate and accurate scanners quickly calculated Everett's vital signs and displayed them on Shuri's computer screen. "I know you will be able to help him. Do you think he will be able to leave for America tomorrow? I do not want him becoming ill again during transport."

"He'll be fine." Shuri stated as she took in the information on her computer display. "I have healed many infections in the past, this one will be no different."

"Can you treat his residual asthma?"

"Treat it?" Shuri flashed her brother a smug grin as she continued to calculate the proper dosage of medicine to give to Everett. "I can cure it."

"I am not surprised."

Everett began to cough again as his fever continued to rise and the inflammation in his lungs restricted his breathing further. His hands began to twitch slightly as he laid on his back on the table, and his head lolled slightly back and forth.

"This may take some time," Shuri admitted as she finished her calculations. "why don't you check in with Nakia and Okoye? I will contact you if there is any change."

"Thank you sister." T'Challa took her hint and left her to privacy to work. "As soon as he is awake let me know."

"Promise."

T'Challa left Shuri and Everett alone in the quiet depths of her lab while he finished tending to his royal responsibilities with his most trusted friends and advisors.

"Okay Agent-" Shuri stopped midsentence and corrected herself. "Everett, let's get you fixed up so you can return to America and help my brother keep the world from tearing itself apart."

Shuri studied Everett's vital signs and confirmed symptoms on the computer display before she made her next decision: Respiration at twenty but labored, blood pressure was a little low at one-hundred ten over seventy, heart rate was seventy six was still in a normal sinus rhythm and his body temperature was feverish at one-hundred and three.

"First we treat your asthma." Shuri decided as she set about programming her computer to administer the proper treatment. "It'll open up your lungs and allow you to breathe much easier from now on."

Everett didn't say a word. Lost in the throes of a feverish state of unconsciousness he was vulnerable and helpless. With only Shuri to lead his recovery the C.I.A. agent had to once again rely on Wakandan medicine in order to recover from what could potentially be a fatal infection.

It didn't take long for the asthma to be removed completely from Everett's body as Wakandan medicine had found a means of curing the disease many generations ago. As the restrictive condition was eliminated from his body Everett's breathing eased but the uncomfortable rattling sound remained as the pneumonia still stressed his lungs.

"Okay, one down..." Shuri then focused on the pneumonia itself. "one to go! Maybe. Looks like both of your lungs have been compromised. This may take a little longer than I estimated but you will be healed soon enough."

As the appropriate treatment began to work its way through Everett's body Shuri couldn't help but look down at her pale friend with some admiration.

"Sick as a dog and yet you try to deny your illness and do not complain." With great gentleness she lifted Everett's trembling hand from the table and held it between her own. "I cannot decided if this stubborn American behavior is a hindrance or a noble trait."

Unconsciously Everett's hand tightened around Shuri's hands. The comforting touch of a friend was undeniable and through his fever induced fog Everett responded accordingly. He coughed lightly but it sounded less congested and it didn't last as long as his previous coughing fits.

"Do not wake up just yet." Shuri spoke softly as she rubbed Everett's hand between her own. "The more you rest the quicker you will recover."

The screen that had Everett's vitals on displayed show a significant improvement to his breathing as well as his heart rate, which began to calm as his body was no longer fighting for air. His temperature began to drop steadily, decreasing from one-hundred and three down to one-hundred and one within just a few minutes.

Shuri stayed at Everett's side, holding his hand, all while the sick man began to heal and recover from his infection.

Curious about Everett's overall healthy Shuri took a second look at his spine. The bone had long since knitted and the muscles had mended. There was no sign of additional infection or other physical deformities as a result of being shot.

"One less thing to worry about." Shuri stated as she returned her attention to Everett's pneumonia. "And you are no longer coughing, a good sign!"

It took only an hour for Shuri to cure Everett's pneumonia, and during that single hour she never left his side. She let go of his hand, letting it rest atop of his chest as his fever finally broke and the ill man's eyes began to flutter open.

"Everett? Are you still alive?"

"...Y-Yeah." Everett's eyes opened fully and he looked up into Shuri's lovely and confident young face. "Thanks to you. Again."

"Do not make a habit out of this!" She cautioned playfully as she helped Everett to sit upright on the table. "I am far too busy to constantly play nursemaid to a clumsy American."

"Well, we wouldn't want you taken from your work." Everett smiled as he slowly swung his legs over the edge of the table and stood up. "How long was I out?"

"Just over an hour."

"I didn't disrupt anything important, did I?"

"Only my nightly bubble bath." Shuri teased happily as she pulled on Everett's arm toward herself. "Come on. I promised I'd let T'Challa know as soon as you're awake and I want to get some rest."

"Lead the way." Everett wrapped his arm around Shuri's to politely escort her as they exited the lab together. "I guess the only possible future benefit to me being so clumsy would be getting to visit you."

"Oh no!" Shuri waved a finger playfully in Everett's face as they walked. "I'm in no mood to play babysitter! I have enough to worry about with my brother!"

"Fair enough." Everett smiled as they walked through the palace together, arm in arm.

-The End